


Ludus

by gxlden



Category: Kuroshitsuji | Black Butler
Genre: Cam boy!Ciel, College AU, Exhibitionism, M/M, Masturbation, Modern AU, Professor!Sebastian, Voyeurism, Webcam/Video Chat Sex
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-26
Updated: 2018-07-22
Packaged: 2019-04-08 04:40:00
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,609
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14097414
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gxlden/pseuds/gxlden
Summary: For Ciel, summers are for fun and flirting, meeting new people and making some money, and as an online webcam star, he can do it all without ever leaving his house. What started as a not-so-innocent hobby becomes a surprisingly lucrative occupation, and Ciel's popularity skyrockets among his viewers. Though he is constantly lavished in praise and gifts, Ciel's plan is to leave it all behind when when the summer is over and he moves away to college. He soon learns however that everything doesn't always go according to plan, and some things are harder to leave behind than others.





	1. Chapter 1

The electronic pop of a bubble and blinking blue exclamation point on his computer monitor managed to pull Ciel's attention away from his current Animal Crossing session towards his desktop. Uncrossing his legs, he stretched languidly and rolled his computer chair closer to inspect the screen. 

_Solipsist38 would like to request a private session._

The chat room had been relatively quiet for his usual Sunday slot, perhaps because of Memorial Day the following day. Ciel knew it was a possibility, but now that he was out of school, he had been anticipating starting his summer webcam season off with a bang before he had to pack up in August and move into his dorm halfway across the country. So far, only a random handful of strangers had dropped in to make surprisingly lewd requests before they were booted from the chat room. There were a few quiet patrons, perhaps too shy or maybe just not interested enough to engage with Ciel, despite all his charm. He called them _watchers_ , those who were perfectly content to sit there in silence and just observe Ciel as he played video games, lounging seductively in his knee high socks and T shirt that just barely covered the bottom hem of his panties. 

It was a little boring, but it left him free to play his game, turning the computer chair slowly in circles, tossing conversation starters up towards his webcam in the hopes of enticing one of reclusive viewers to bite. But to no avail. _Solipsist38_ was his saving grace, a reprieve from the awkwardly droll interactions he had tried to initiate in the chat room. With a smile, Ciel looked up into his camera and gave a cute little pout, trying to keep his voice steady and not betray his relief at finally getting a request. 

"Okay, everyone, I think that's it for me tonight. I'll be back tomorrow night at the same time if ya'll are around and want to drop in and say hi! Be safe out there my friends." He flashed the camera a winning smile and gave a small wave of his fingers. Of course, no one objected or tried to stop him as he exited the chat room and entered into the private session with his new guest, but he knew the same selection of silent observers would be there again the following day. 

"I should probably thank you," he said to the camera as he saved his game and switched off his DS. "It was getting lonely in there; no one wanted to talk to me."

A bubble with an ellipsis popped up on the screen as his patron typed their response. 

_It's my pleasure. I'm glad to see you. I didn't know if you'd be around because of the holiday... A lot of people I know go on vacation around this time_

Ciel shook his head. "Nah, that stuff doesn't really matter to me, so I never make plans for it. Might go to a barbecue, or out to the lake, but who knows; I'll have to see where the day takes me. But what about you? Are you doing anything fun?"

_Hardly. Probably end up working. Hopefully I can unwind at the end of the day with you. If someone hasn't gotten to you before me, that is._

"I guess we'll just have to see," Ciel teased with a wink and a smile. "You're one of the only ones who does the premium shows, you know... Most of my private sessions have multiple viewers, so you could always join in one of those if you wanted. It's cheaper that way too." 

Normally, Ciel was not interested in saving his patrons money. Premium shows means premium money; the rate nearly doubled between that and the private group shows. But Solipsist38 had only ever done exclusive shows, as long as Ciel could remember. They tipped well, and were very respectful of Ciel and his boundaries, so he was willing to cut them a break. 

_Unfortunately, I think I'm too greedy for that. I want you all to myself, and I don't care what it costs_

"Well I don't blame you," Ciel chuckled to the webcam: if they wanted to keep paying premium prices, he sure as hell wasn't going to stop them. It was why this was one of his preferred people to entertain. Both of his feet came to rest on the edge of the desk as he leaned back in his chair, stretching his arms high up over his head and letting his shirt ride up his stomach, showing off a seductive sliver of skin beneath his navel. There was no doubt he was beautiful; slim and boyish, a soft round ass, pouty lips, a drop-you-where-you-stand stare. The internet just ate him up. "So how can I help you unwind tonight?"

That was what Ciel did -- helped people unwind. He helped them get off, he helped them forget. He gave them a distraction, and he was good at it. A month after he turned 18, Ciel created his first online profile and started streaming. It was something he had been wanting to try for a while, ever since his junior year of high school when the girl he was talking to at the time suggested they pull up Chat Roulette or Omegle while she was giving him head in her parents' basement. Ciel fucking loved it, though he didn't much care for the girl. Not long after he cut her off, he started to log on to anonymous video chatting websites more and more often, keeping his face out of sight as he let strangers watch him jerk off, delighting in their momentary infatuation. Later he found out one of his cousin's friends, an older man named Lawrence, had his own webcam show, and after a little bit of chatting and flattering on Ciel's part, he received a few guiding words from him and a recommendation to a great streaming sight.

At first, Ciel was incredibly awkward in front of the camera. All the confidence and assurance he used to have went out the window once he had to show his face. He was too self-conscious. Always wondering if he was emoting too much or too little, if his ass looked pasty, or if he was fidgeting and blushing like an innocent school boy. Some people didn't like the inexperienced air about him; some absolutely loved it. It was real, raw, something they could connect to. As time went on, he grew more comfortable, more at ease, and four months in, Ciel found himself doing surprisingly well. Three times a week, he'd set up a chat room and try to entice viewers into paying him for shows. It wasn't bad overall. A lot of the time, it involved just lounging around, talking to strangers on the other side of the screen, entertaining them until they decided they wanted to virtually fuck him or watch him fuck himself. He never saw them, never heard them, only watched as their words appeared in the text box before him. 

Sometimes only one or two people tuned in, but other times he found himself overwhelmed with viewers, everyone trying to request something they wanted of him in the chat room or through private messages. Wear this, dress like that. Talk like this, tell me that. Touch yourself here, like this, fuck yourself with that and don't be shy. 

Most often, they were internet transients; fiends surfing the chat rooms with a hungry indifference until they found someone that momentarily tickled their fancy. Ciel would never hear from a majority of them again in his domain, but a number of people had begun to tune into his shows and set up private sessions so frequently and consistently that Ciel dared to call them his regulars. The solipsist he was currently entertaining was one of them. 

_Have you finished The Plague yet?_

"No, not yet; I've only got like 20 or 30 pages left or something."

_Read for me, won't you?_

"Why, it'd be my pleasure," Ciel gushed with a saccharine smile, hopping up from his seat and retrieving the book from the shelf beside his bed. He had been meaning to finish the novel for over a week now, having started it in his English Lit class at the end of April. The senioritis plaguing the class prevented them from getting very far at the end of the year, but Ciel found the book to actually be very interesting and fun to read; it was one of the only ones he found himself taking an interest in outside of class. And now he was going to get paid to kick back and finish it? How perfect. 

He settled back in his chair and took a drink from his water bottle to prepare his throat before he began. "Alright, you all set on your end?" he asked, looking up through his lashes at his webcam. 

_Ready when you are_

Ciel pulled his legs up into the chair and folded them underneath him, cleared his throat, and started to read. 

"'The next night was not one of struggle but of silence,'" he began. "'In the tranquil death-chamber, beside the dead body now in everyday clothing -- here, too, Rieux felt it brooding, the elemental peace which, when he was sitting many nights before on the terrace high above the plague, had followed the brief foray at the gates. Then, already, it had brought to his mind the silence brooding over the beds in which he had let men die. There as here it was the same solemn pause, the lull that follows battle; the silence of defeat.'" Here, Ciel paused. His eyes traced the lines of the words on the page for several seconds. Then he help up a finger to the camera, got up from his seat and returned momentarily with a blue pen, which he clicked open and dragged lightly under one of the lines in the book he had just recited. 

"Sorry about that," he apologized, setting the pen aside, "I'd forget to come back to it if I kept going. Should I continue?" 

_Of course. Do you often highlight in books you read?_

"Yeah, I don't know why really, I never do anything with it... It's just lines or phrases I like, or when something just reads so clearly and beautifully; like word porn, you know?" Ciel laughed. 

_Yes, indeed. The way you read makes it even more so. Please continue_

With a compliant nod, Ciel resumed his recitation, keeping his voice calm and clear, rising and falling with the melody of the text. It all flowed so naturally from his lips, and while he would have preferred to read alone, in silence, at his own pace, he was perfectly content spending his night this way. Though he often tried not to think about it, Ciel had to wonder what it was his viewer was doing on the other side of the computer screen as he read...

It would surprise him to know that the solitary solpisist was in fact not alone. 

He sat reclined on his bed, atop the covers with his own care-worn copy of _The Plague_ on his bedside table and a fat black cat curled in his lap. The laptop through which he was streaming the live webcam feed was set up beside him, angled so he could watch the screen and type without disturbing his feline companion. The cat purred contentedly, kneading the man's legs with a set of tiny needle claws, but he was hesitant to stop it, not wanting to disturb the precious creature or miss a second of the reading. He scratched between the ears, down under the chin, following the cat's lead as it tilted its head and pressed into his hand while he listened attentively, infatuated with the boy on his screen. 

Ciel proceeded to finish the book during that session, stopping every now and then to underline more of the profanely beautiful phrases. The two of them discussed the book for some time after, Ciel questioning the development and decisions of the characters, but praising the prose as his patron probed his brain until he just couldn't keep up. It was almost midnight when he finally set the book down, and though he had not left the house that day, Ciel was exhausted. "Is there anything else I can do for you tonight?" He asked around a yawn. 

_Well, I won't lie and say I wouldn't love to watch you make yourself come for me…_

Ciel tensed, waiting for the other shoe to drop. He cleared his throat and flashed an expectant and sultry smile, steeling his resolve and knowing his ratings could be at stake if he refused the request. 

_But you look pretty tired. I won't take up any more of your time_

Ciel gave a forced pout in response as a wave of relief washed over him. "Are you sure?" 

_Yes, I am. Thank you for indulging me. I enjoyed listening to you read_

"Well, I'm glad you enjoyed it. It was a nice way to end my night, so thank you," he smiled. Ciel bid his farewell then and waved goodbye to his webcam, logging out of the chat with a happy sigh. Before shutting down the computer and getting ready for bed, he checked in on his profile to assess his ratings and his profits. Both were rising slowly but steadily. The fees and tips collected from his viewers were starting to add up, and he would finish the week with a decent chunk of change. 

For only three days a week, Ciel was doing rather well. Lawrence had weaved almost wonderful tales of voyuer cams and Gold Shows, premium rates and incentives; people throwing themselves at his feet and paying top dollar just to see him undress; buying him all the things off his Amazon wishlist so they could be allowed to watch him in the shower or while he slept. Ciel was hopeful for the future of his webcam career, at least for the summer... 

He was moving a couple thousand miles away for college near the end of August. It was the school his father went to, and he had donated a lot of money to various departments over the years. Should he choose to rush, Ciel would be a legacy at the Epsilon house. His father wanted him to pursue business, communication, economics; his mother still thought he wanted to be a doctor. It was all very daunting for him, but he still had a couple months where he didn't have to worry about all that. All he had to worry about for now was pleasing his audience, beefing up his ratings, and raking in the cash.


	2. Chapter 2

_“Woah-ohohhh_  
_I want to know_  
_Where I can go_  
_When you’re not around_  
_And I’m feeling down_  
_So won’t you stay for a moment_  
_So I can say_  
_I… I need you so...”_

The soft, rhythmic music trickled from the speakers in Ciel’s room as he reclined on his bed, the melancholic tones matching his current mood. It felt so good to be home, but he was utterly exhausted. When he wasn't hunched over his steering wheel in construction-clogged traffic, drumming his fingers absentmindedly to the music on his stereo and wishing he was curled up in bed, he had been on his feet -- all damn day. He barely made it home in time for his Wednesday night stream. After a hurried dinner of reheated lasagna eaten standing over his kitchen counter, Ciel had scurried through the empty house, down to his bedroom on the lowest level so he could switch on his computer and speakers and pick out a playlist. 

Rolling over, stretching like a cat, Ciel glanced at the red display of the alarm clock he only used to help keep track of his streaming time. 6:56. In the last few minutes available before he had to log on, Ciel checked himself over in the crooked mirror on the back of his door. With hair so greasy and such heavy bags weighing under his eyes, he decided to change out of his wrinkled work clothes and into something a little more flattering, something that would detract from the fatigued features of his face. 

He quickly settled on a silky white shirt that hung coquettishly off his shoulders with a pair of lacy white panties to match. Unfortunately, they were completely see-through, and since there was no nudity allowed in his general stream (in case any minors managed to find their way into the chat), he was forced to cover them up with a pair of tiny, navy blue shorts that sat high on his hips and revealed only the subtle outline of his cock instead of the actual thing. 

Because he was appropriately dressed in his little blue gym shorts, Ciel decided to do some stretching as he waited for the chat to fill up, hooking the webcam up to his laptop so he could bring it down to the floor beside him. As always, the first few minutes of the stream were quiet and slow, but Ciel was perfectly content with releasing the tension in his shoulders and his legs, loosening up his muscles and checking out his form in the small window in the corner of the screen. 

Ciel had stretched every body part he could think of and was nice and limber by the time he accepted his first request and entered the private chat room nearly twenty-five minutes later. 

“Hey stranger,” he said warmly -- the user who had requested the stream, Solipsist38, always managed to bring a smile to Ciel’s face. The shows he did for them were easy-going and casual, but never boring. They always had something in mind, something fun or entertaining for Ciel to do for them. And they always tipped well. 

_Hi there._

“What's the occasion?” Ciel asked. “I don't normally see you on Wednesdays.” 

It was unusual for this particular viewer to stop by on a Wednesday; in the past several weeks he'd been entertaining them, Ciel only ever saw this user on Mondays, and only once on a Friday over the course of almost two months. Even when they said they would stop by some other time during the week, they never followed through. Ciel wondered if something had happened that had spurred them onto logging on, desperate for some distraction, or perhaps a means of celebration? 

_To be honest, I had a rough day. And I was hoping seeing you would make me feel better._

“Sorry you had a hard day,” Ciel lamented, pulling a pillow from his bed to make his place on the ground more comfortable. “There's no consolation in that it's only Wednesday, huh? Like, just made it over the hump or whatever... ”

 _Nope. But so far I was right about you, at least,_ the lonely philosopher typed out. _You’re quite flexible, aren't you?_

Ciel smiled and nodded. “When you've been at it for over twenty minutes, you get pretty bendy. It's a nice way to relax. I sleep so much better afterwards, too. You should try it,” he suggested jokingly as he made himself more comfortable on the carpet. “So, what was so difficult about today? Do you want to talk about it? Or vent about something?”

_It's just working on these galley proofs that has me stressed. My editor wants me to have the rest of them done by Friday. She’s being a little unreasonable in my opinion._

Ciel nodded, though he had no idea what “galley proofs” were. But an editor… Was Solipsist38 an author, a writer of some sort? How intriguing. What would be their genre of choice, he wondered. Philosophy? Poetry? Erotica? Before Ciel could drum up some intelligent response or ask them about the proofs, they sent him another message. 

_But I’d rather not dwell on it. So can we talk about something else? How was your day?_

A heavy exhale left Ciel’s lips, turning into a groan as he lolled his head back and rolled his neck. “Honestly, I had a shit day too,” he confessed. Normally, he didn't like to bring his personal life into his work; that wasn't what he was there for. It wasn't his place to complain or mope to his patrons who were paying him to entertain them. But he couldn't help but unload it all onto his current viewer, hoping they would be forgiving. “I had to cover someone's shift and worked all morning, then I had to go to this eye appointment -- turns out I need glasses,” he said, “and I had all these errands to run afterwards… Had to take my car into the shop… So I'm just exhausted. I just want to relax,” he concluded lamely. 

Ciel let his hand slip down between his legs, palm skimming along the soft length of his penis, seeking friction through the fabric. He hadn't come since his Friday night stream, and he couldn't help but think about how nice an orgasm would be right now, how good he would sleep afterwards, on top of all his stretching. Not even meaning to be coy or presumptuous, he bit his lip, glanced doe-eyed into the camera and asked, “Do you want to watch me?” 

_Yes, please_

Ciel pushed the laptop gently across the floor so he could kick his legs out and spread them, rubbing himself through his shorts. Rutting up against his palm, he gradually grew stiff and swollen, his lips parting as he breathed through his mouth in slow, deep breaths. He half-heartedly asked, “Any requests,” almost like an afterthought as he adjusted his shorts to accommodate his hardening length. 

_Just whatever feels the best for you_

“Okay,” Ciel moaned his acquiescence, head tilting back as he thrust his sheathed cock through the space between his fingers. Suddenly he rose up onto his knees and put two fingers on his lips, looking suggestively into the camera as he tugged his shorts down with one hand, revealing the tent in his lacy white underwear. The ellipsis in the chat window lit up and Ciel raised an eyebrow as the word _Wait_ appeared on his screen. 

_Tell me, show me, what turns you on. What gets you off. Be honest, please. I want to know what you like._

Ciel sat back on his heels, shorts tucked right under the stiff ridge of his erection. No one had ever bothered to ask him; it was always what _they_ wanted, what got _them_ off. At first, he was unsure how to continue. The hand in his lap didn’t know what to do; he tugged at a bit of lace nervously. 

“Okay,” Ciel nodded, securing a sultry smile on his face. “You really want to know?” After weeks in front of the camera, he had gotten very good at this little acting charade. Each day, he would create a character and bring them to life for his audience -- innocent, or mischievously coy, or completely lascivious. There was no way for his viewers to confirm whether or not he was lying to them, and certainly no one cared. And it wasn’t like they would ever meet, so there was no reason Ciel had to tell them the truth. 

_Of course_

There was also no reason for Ciel to lie. 

When he did shows for Solipsist38, Ciel found it much easier to perform without a character, without a fabricated demeanor and personality; he could be himself. But would he really admit to them that he didn’t actually know what he liked? Sure, he had had sex before, but Ciel found it rather underwhelming, not all it was cracked up to be; just a couple minutes of forced moans and mindless humping and rocking hips until someone came, then awkwardly cleaning up the resulting mess. Maybe it was different with someone you cared about. Ciel wouldn’t know. He had yet to feel comfortable voicing his desires, but he was slowly learning to be more honest, with others and with himself, too.

“Well, I like dirty talk,” he admitted with a sheepish smile. He tugged his shorts down his thighs a bit more, rubbed his fingers along the length of his erection, delighting in the tickle of the lace. “Doing this,” he waved his hand in the air to indicate his laptop and camera and current state of undress, “I got pretty good at dishing it out, or at least I like to think so… but like, if someone said any of that stuff to me, I’d turn into this ridiculous blushing mess,” Ciel said. “Just the thought of it turns me on a lot… like someone whispering in my ear when we fuck about how fucking good I feel…” He moaned a little, hips jerking in small, indiscernible circles under his fingers. “Maybe it’s a little bit of a — what’s it called? — a praise kink.” 

_Well you deserve all the praise in the world_

“You flatter me,” Ciel said with an eye roll and a cheeky smile. He rose to his feet, toeing the screen of the laptop back just a little so the camera could follow his body up as he continued, “I like neck kisses, too.” With his fingertips, he pushed playfully on the waistband of his shorts until they slipped over the widest part of his thighs and slid down his legs to the floor. “I’m sensitive there,” he explained, kicking the shorts aside. “It tickles, but in a good way. Makes me squirm and makes me so fucking hard.” He pulled the lace underwear to the side, letting his hard cock spring forward as if to illustrate his point, though no lips had been near his neck or anywhere else on his body in months. 

After a few slow, almost timid strokes, Ciel tugged the underwear down the rest of the way and tossed them aside as he returned to the floor. He leaned up against the side of his bed, knees bent with feet on the floor, giving the camera clear, unobstructed access to his most intimate areas. Except his hands covered most of it, one cupping and massaging his balls, one sliding along his length. It was starting to feel pretty good, especially after he took a minute to retrieve a bottle of KY jelly from beside his bed and spill some onto his hand. The initial stiffness of it all, the awkwardness, the tension in his actions had begun to melt away, leaving him relaxed; loose and happy. He didn’t really want to focus on his viewer’s request to relay it all to them in detail, too lost in his own careful touches and the excited tingle that always crept along his spine when he started to show off for a stranger. Words were replaced with hushed whimpers and Ciel started to happily play with himself at his own pace. 

Thankfully, the stranger could care less. Originally the request was simply an attempt to keep the boy talking. His voice was so lovely. A slight gravel to it that was somehow thin and melodic, it coupled perfectly with the young man’s appealing form. Solipsist38 could listen to the boy for hours, but when he got into his more pleasure-based shows, he clammed up, stopped talking. With his fingers or a small bullet vibrator pushed inside, all his words melted into beautiful moans, these adorable frustrated grunts when he denied himself his orgasm for as long as possible. 

He watched him now, tossing his head of dyed hair back against his mattress as he stroked himself, the pace of his hand increasing frantically then slowing back down; tender touches to the head before gripping tightly to the base. The viewing man’s own erection went untouched, though he pushed his hips up and into his desk a few times, letting the pulsing nuisance in his pants rub against the edge just enough to keep him from going insane. He never touched himself until after the stream ended. Even though he tipped handsomely, he felt guilty watching someone no older than the kids he taught at school fuck himself on screen for money; only after he had closed out of the webpage did he take advantage of his memories, the few latent images he kept stockpiled in his mind of the boy bent over and moaning or running a vibrator along the inside of his pale, soft-looking thighs. 

The man enjoyed the boy’s company, though he knew it was not genuine. The younger man was a spectacular actor, a natural in front of the camera, even when he wasn’t touching himself or fulfilling a lewd request. Eager to please, he would do almost whatever was asked of him, though his current viewer took advantage of that in the best way possible. He had him read for him a lot; he asked him to review movies he had seen; he watched him play video games and asked his opinion on music, the news, food and fashion -- whatever came to his mind. The boy, who he knew only by his streaming name, the Queen’s Watchdog, always seemed happy to just relax and talk. On only three occasions had he asked him to take off his clothes and give him a “real” show. This time, the Watchdog had offered, and Sebastian was not going to say “no.” 

The house was empty, as it always was, with Sebastian’s cat desperate for attention on the other side of the office door, paws shooting playfully underneath and clawing at the wood. The sounds of the boy’s moans coming from his desktop speakers echoed in the sparsely furnished room, a filthy lament that made Sebastian grit his teeth and push the heel of his palm into his lap as he squeezed shut his eyes. The guilt he felt now made his release later all the more sinful, late at night with all the lights off, fumbling in the dark for a tissue or a dirty shirt from his hamper. The boy’s shaking voice drew Sebastian’s attention back to the screen, hands raising to grip the armrests of his desk chair. 

“I --” Ciel stuttered, trying to gain control of his thoughts, “I don’t... like it rough,” he managed. There were a litany of reasons why, but Ciel did not feel the need to go into them. “I like going slow,” he admitted, flashing a radiant smile as he added, “You could call me a gentle lover.” True to his word, the boy had found his rhythm, and it was tender and slow; gentle, fleeting touches that looked so soft and timid Sebastian could feel himself twitching in response, almost as if in anticipation. He wanted to touch him, caress him, be the gentle, considerate pleasure he needed. 

The chat box remained empty for the rest of Ciel’s performance, his viewer too caught up in watching him. Ciel had never done a show for himself, and it felt really good, somehow liberating, not having to worry about his audience. This time is was about his pleasure, his interests. He slid further and further down his bed, until he laid flat on the floor, accidentally kicking the laptop to the side; he couldn’t be bothered to care. Only after he finished, weak spurts of white coating his fingers and his stomach, did he sit up and realize the camera had only caught one half of his body. 

“Oh my god,” he groaned, honestly a little embarrassed. “I’m so sorry about that.” How unprofessional of him. 

_Don’t apologize, it’s fine. I liked seeing you so caught up in your own pleasure._

“Yeah,” Ciel said somewhat sheepishly, “it doesn’t happen enough.” There was a conveniently placed package of wet wipes on Ciel’s nightstand, and he took a moment to clean himself up. The playlist had long since ended, and his Spotify radio had taken over, playing the same song that he had first started with at a low, innocuous volume. 

_“You know you need to get yourself to sleep and dream, a dream of you and I_  
_There’s no need to keep an open eye_  
_I promise I’m the one for you_  
_Just let me hold you in these arms tonight...”_

“I hope I was able to distract you for at least a little bit,” Ciel said, tugging his shorts back on. “I don’t know about you, but I feel a lot more relaxed now,” he chuckled. “Do you have a lot of work you have to do for your editor or whoever?” 

_It was a wonderful way to pass the time. I feel newly inspired._

Ciel chuckled politely. “Oh yeah? Gonna power through the rest of your stuff now?” 

_I’m going to try to. Maybe I’ll reward myself if I get it all done in time. You have a Friday night show too, don’t you?_

“It’s more of an afternoon show,” Ciel said. “Starts at 3:30.”

 _I see. Well, perhaps I will see you then,_ Sebastian typed out. _I won’t keep you any longer tonight. As always, it’s been a pleasure. Have a good night, watchdog_

Words took physical form and tangled in Ciel’s throat. He was overcome with the urge to tell the stranger his real name. He had shared with him more than anyone, but it was foolish to think this was anything more than a perverse business arrangement. Ciel was paid to be a distraction, some acquiescent company. There was no need to get personal. 

“Have a good night,” he smiled, blowing a kiss and waggling his fingers. “See you next time.”


End file.
